Revelation Chapter Seven Breakdown

1 After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.

After the sixth seal, John sees four angels on the corners of the earth. These angels are stopping the winds from blowing. There is no wind, anywhere on the earth at this time.

2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”

A fifth angel gives a command to the four. They are not to harm any of the earth until after all the believers are marked on their foreheads with the seal of YHWH.

4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed: of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.

Those who were sealed are the 144,000. Twelve thousand from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. This is very interesting considering these are not gentiles.

9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

After the 144,000 were sealed, John sees an innumerable number of people. They are clothed in white robes and they are cheering out about the Salvation of YHWH.

11 All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

When they did this, all the angels, messengers, and creatures fell down to worship YHWH.

13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?”

John interacts with one of the elders.

14 And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

The elder explains who these people are. They are those who have come out of the great tribulation. These people were either killed during, or taken up before the wrath began. There is no way to make the claim they were taken before the tribulation period.

15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them.

YHWH will dwell among these people and they will serve Him.

16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

None of them will ever be hungry nor thirsty again. YHWH will wipe away every tear from their eyes. We have to understand, these are those who were taken from the tribulation period.